Suryavanshi Mansion — Dining Hall**
"Dadi, are you alright, beta?" she asked, her eyes laced with concern. "You looked upset yesterday."
"I'm fine, Dadi," Tara replied with a soft smile.
Dadaji added, "That smile suits you, Tara. We know what happened still hurts. We can never forgive Prithvi either... but don't carry it alone."
Tara waved it off gently, "Let's not talk about that. I'm fine, really. It's Sunday—there's an amazing breakfast here and Vikram sir is actually home. He's left behind his precious office and all the work." She glanced pointedly at Vikram.
Dadaji chuckled. "Vikram, this won't do. Your wife is filing complaints at the dining table! Work will always be there, but Tara deserves your time."
Vikram smiled, though inwardly he thought, *Now that I'm finally home, she'll find ten reasons to push me away—and now she's saying all this in front of Dada and Dadi?*
Dadi chuckled. "Tara's right! Vikram hardly gives her any time. And you two haven't even gone on a honeymoon yet!"
Vikram barely held back a laugh.
Tara stared at Dadi, stunned. *Honeymoon? Seriously?*
"It's true!" Dadi said, sipping her tea. "You two should go somewhere, smile more, spend real time together. Then maybe we'll see grandkids soon!" She winked.
Tara blinked rapidly. *Grandkids? They're already thinking that far ahead?! And look at Vikram sir! Enjoying this, smiling like he's watching a rom-com!*
"So, when are you two leaving?" Dadaji asked.
Vikram gave Tara a quick, innocent smile. "I can leave as early as tomorrow. I don't have any problem."
Tara's jaw dropped. "I'm done. I'm going to my room," she muttered, rising abruptly.
Dadi called out, "Wait, beta!"
Tara forced a polite smile. *Nope. Can't stay here one more minute…*
"Vikram, get the tickets ready. Take her somewhere nice," Dadi said sweetly.
"Yes, Dadi," Vikram nodded.
"I'm not feeling well," Tara said faintly. "I'll be in my room."
Dadi frowned. "You were fine a moment ago… what happened?"
"I'm just feeling… off," Tara said, walking away quickly.
Dadi looked at Vikram. "Go check on her, beta."
Vikram gave a silent nod and followed her upstairs.
---
**In Their Room**
Vikram stepped in. Tara sat on the bed, glaring at him.
"What?" he asked, genuinely puzzled. "Why the angry look?"
"Mr. Suryavanshi, don't act innocent now. What was all that downstairs?"
"What was that? You brought up the time issue, not me. All I said was I'm okay with going!"
"You knew exactly what the topic had become—honeymoon!"
"So what? Is that such a big deal?"
"Of course it is! You casually agreed like it meant nothing!"
Vikram walked closer. "Tara, don't overthink this. Our relationship is built on mutual understanding—we both agreed to that. One word like 'honeymoon' doesn't change everything. Look at us. We live in the same room. Sleep in the same bed. Don't make it bigger than it is."
"And now, if you'll excuse me, I have work." He sat with his laptop, ignoring her fuming expression.
Tara huffed. *Exactly. One word won't change anything. We're just… friends. That's all.* She rolled onto her stomach and began playing a game on her phone—with the volume on.
"Tara… can you lower the volume? I can't concentrate."
She turned to face him, half-smirking. "I didn't say anything wrong at the table, Vikram sir."
Then she turned away again, muting the phone this time.
After a few moments, Vikram shut his laptop and moved toward the bed. He gently tapped her shoulder.
Tara turned, surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"You wanted to say something?"
"Well, go work. I have a game to play… or else your company's stock prices might fall," she teased with a grin. "And when the media asks why, you'll have to say: 'I was busy talking to my wife.'"
Vikram laughed. "You just called yourself my wife. Without saying 'contract'. That… felt good."
They lay facing each other—not too close, not too far. Vikram's eyes searched hers. There was a gentle light there… a softness he hadn't seen before.
Tara's thoughts whirled. *I don't know if my symptoms will fade… but this man… I might fall even deeper in love with him. He values every part of me.*
Vikram, still watching her, asked quietly, "What are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking… I feel comfortable with you."
"Good."
Vikram: *I always stay calm,* he thought. *Always hold back. I'm just waiting for the day we're both ready—for all of it.*
He reached out gently, his fingers brushing against hers. "Just holding your hand. That's okay, right?"
Tara nodded, her heart thudding.
Their eyes locked. The air turned heavy. The kind of silence that hums with everything unspoken.
Then Tara moved a little closer.
"Your eyes… they're beautiful," she whispered.
"What?"
She came closer still, eyes focused on his lashes. "Even your eyelashes are longer than mine."
"Tara… don't do this," he warned softly.
She reached up, brushing his lashes. "No, seriously. They're unreal."
"Tara… please…"
But she didn't stop. She was so close he could feel her breath. So close she couldn't even see how close she was.
And Vikram's restraint cracked.
He wrapped a hand around her waist and gently laid her back on the bed, hovering over her. Tara froze—nervous, startled, unsure.
Her pulse was a drumbeat. Her face flushed. Her eyes wide.
Vikram leaned down, just till his face hovered at the bridge of her nose.(He stops at her nose, closes his eyes, trying to control himself.He opens his eyes again
*He places his index finger on her lips... and kisses her lightly there.*
Tara was frozen—nervous, overwhelmed… but not scared. And that mattered.
He pulled away and whispered, "I'm sorry," before walking out of the room.
---
**In the Garden**
Vikram sat on the swing, head down, drowning in guilt. *I promised I'd never touch her without consent. And today… I almost did.*
Tara came down quietly and sat beside him.
"I can't explain what happened," Vikram said before she could speak. "Please don't ask me to."
"I didn't come for an explanation," Tara said gently.
Vikram turned to look at her.
Tara: "You didn't even touch me. You didn't break your promise. You earned my respect. That's why I came."
Vikram's voice cracked. "Thank you. You have no idea what that means. I've been carrying this guilt for so long. From the contract… from the hurt… I thought maybe someday you'd forgive me. But you said something better. You said I earned your respect. That… that broke me."
Tara smiled faintly. "My only regret is that you didn't talk to me before the wedding. Maybe all of this pain could've been avoided. Falling in love with you… it's not hard, Vikram sir."
"Tara, please stop. Don't say things that'll break me all over again."
Tara: "I'm serious. I still remember our wedding. I was in pain... suffocating. I didn't even look at my wedding lehenga. After that, every moment I lived in fear—fear that you'd stop Papa's treatment."
Vikram whispered, "It was hard for me too. That night—I opened the door and saw you… and it broke me. You were the same girl I had once wanted to marry for love. And there you were… my wife. But we couldn't even talk. And your endless questions? The ones I answered cruelly? I still feel ashamed."
He looked down. "I didn't want a contract marriage. I tricked you into signing a fake one only to protect you from Prithvi. I couldn't stand the idea of him hurting you. Everything I did was driven by one thing—my love for you."
Tara's voice cracked. "So if that Prithvi misunderstanding hadn't happened… would you have married me?"
Vikram locked eyes with her. "Yes. I would have. I would've told you how I felt. You were the first girl who made me feel… human. I wouldn't have let you go."
Tara gasped dramatically. "So thanks to Prithvi, I lost my love marriage and got a contract instead! That man is a monster."
Vikram laughed. "Still time. Let's pretend this was a love marriage all along."
"Mr. Suryavanshi, don't get too sweet. You're no saint. Don't remind me of everything that happened—this isn't how love marriages go!"
"You're angry again?"
"I'm just stating facts."
"You haven't even thanked me for this swing!" Vikram said.
"I did say thank you! You didn't say sorry."
"I've been saying sorry every day!"
"Not the real sorry! You faked a contract, manipulated me—"
"Just I couldn't use real papers, Tara!"
"You tricked me! And now I'm angry! Again!"
She stood and walked off in a huff.
Vikram groaned, burying his face in his hands. "She found a new mistake. My life is going to be one long apology!"
"Tara, wait!"
"I'm not waiting!" she shouted from behind, stomping away.
To Be continued....